SF Giants raise $700,000 for Oracle Park event staff

In addition to the $1 million emergency fund announced on March 17, the San Francisco Giants executives and owners have raised $700,000 to support Oracle Park game day employees.

“They’re the people that work hard, work diligently, and serve our fans,” Giants president and CEO Larry Baer said. “Which is the lifeblood of our sport and business. And without games, obviously, many of them will have hardship.”

The $700,000 — made up of contributions from Giants board members — will be distributed into two programs intended to help provide financial cushion for the 2,600 ballpark employees that would have worked baseball games held at Oracle Park. But, a season on hiatus due to coronavirus put that work into indefinite limbo.

The first program is a one-time $500 payment available to the all Giants employees whose work is dependent on live events held at the ballpark. Those eligible for this fund include the 1,300 Giants-employed game day staff, such as ushers, maintenance staff, security, the G-Team (people that toss t-shirts and host in-game entertainment), scoreboard operators and groundskeepers. Those employed through third-parties, such as Bon Appetite — the catering company behind the park’s concession stands — are also eligible for this payment. The employees under that umbrella include concessions workers and vendors, parking lot attendants and retail employees.

The second program funds just the 1,300 event staff the Giants employ. This provides $100-to-$250 per month for workers eligible, distributed based on individual workers’ 2019 hours — in addition to the one-time $500 payment. All event staff are also eligible to file for unemployment. In California, that can earn workers up to $450 per week.

“The benefits we are offering in addition to unemployment should equate to what they would make if games were played, and in some cases it should be more,” Giants’ Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jack Bair said. Giants players haven’t been contacted to contribute to the fund, though Baer says player contribution may come down the line.

All full-time workers the Giants employed prior to shelter-in-place are still employed, Baer said. But, like the rest of the city of San Francisco and beyond, typical operations at Oracle Park are at a standstill. The front office and day-to-day team employees are all working from home, connected in operation only by a slew of phone calls and Zoom meetings.

Per Mayor London Breed’s order, essential construction is still a go. Because construction of affordable housing is part of the Mission Rock project, elements of that project can continue on site. Now, with proper social distancing and sanitation practices, that includes demolition of the parking lots on which the waterfront development will grow.

Reconstruction of the bullpens, outfield walls and extended baseline netting inside Oracle Park came to a halt, though. Baer and the Giants say they have accounted for the margin of time between when the league announces the season should begin and the ballpark’s first game. Those new bullpens, fences and netting should be done quickly once they can resume construction.

“Much of that work had been done before the shelter-in-place orders for the city,” Baer said.

But, when (and if) the league might green light regular season games remains uncertain. The Giants say this $700,000 supplemental emergency fund is expected to grow. Giants players haven’t been contacted to contribute to the fund, though Baer says player contribution may come down the line.